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I have always enjoyed solo rides for the freedom to follow my own drummer, but solo evenings in the middle of nowhere, well - my own company is pretty boring and the night is so much longer than I can sleep. If I turn in at 8pm I'm up at 4am. Then what?

My wife has a 50 mile butt, so long 2-up trips with her are out. For me, the perfect mix is meeting up with a travel buddy at the end of the day, each of us taking our own path to get there. But my most enjoyable road trips have been with my dog. Barley is good for 14 hour days in the saddle, never complains, approves of my dietary choices and the occasional beer, hangs on my every word like it's the most profound thing he's ever heard, and snuggles better than my wife. He's transformed my long distance adventures!

I have always enjoyed solo rides for the freedom to follow my own drummer, but solo evenings in the middle of nowhere, well - my own company is pretty boring and the night is so much longer than I can sleep. If I turn in at 8pm I'm up at 4am. Then what?

My wife has a 50 mile butt, so long 2-up trips with her are out. For me, the perfect mix is meeting up with a travel buddy at the end of the day, each of us taking our own path to get there. But my most enjoyable road trips have been with my dog. Barley is good for 14 hour days in the saddle, never complains, approves of my dietary choices and the occasional beer, hangs on my every word like it's the most profound thing he's ever heard, and snuggles better than my wife. He's transformed my long distance adventures!

I've always liked that photo...first time i saw it, it became a favorite. And!...hate to sound like an old sap but,...reading the last 2/3 of that paragraph put a lump in my throat...here's to many more miles for you & your pal Barley..........Ron

I have always enjoyed solo rides for the freedom to follow my own drummer, but solo evenings in the middle of nowhere, well - my own company is pretty boring and the night is so much longer than I can sleep. If I turn in at 8pm I'm up at 4am. Then what?

My wife has a 50 mile butt, so long 2-up trips with her are out. For me, the perfect mix is meeting up with a travel buddy at the end of the day, each of us taking our own path to get there. But my most enjoyable road trips have been with my dog. Barley is good for 14 hour days in the saddle, never complains, approves of my dietary choices and the occasional beer, hangs on my every word like it's the most profound thing he's ever heard, and snuggles better than my wife. He's transformed my long distance adventures!

Dogs do not care if your not a great conversationalist and I can't say that I've ever seen a dog in a side car that wasnt tail wagging happy. Hope to see you and Barley in Salem.

But my most enjoyable road trips have been with my dog. Barley is good for 14 hour days in the saddle, never complains, approves of my dietary choices and the occasional beer, hangs on my every word like it's the most profound thing he's ever heard, and snuggles better than my wife. He's transformed my long distance adventures!

Nothing brings back memories better than a camera. Todays cameras (digital) come in all sizes and store HD photos on SD or mini SD cards. I recently purchased a HERO II and plan to use it as I travel to the rally in Salem, OR and back. This camera along with many others can also record record video & sound. I agree that its wonderful to share something like the Grand Conyon in the moment. Pictures allow you to recall those moments. RIDE SAFE

Your comment brings to mind this e.g.-The first Mexico ride partner I hooked up with was a really nice guy, except for the picture thing & a few other issues. He was a hell bent rider that wanted to cover miles vs. stop for a pic, which is more my type of ride when I'm around something notable,i.e., scenery,interesting people,buildings, etc.. OTOH, he would spend way too much time doing his blog each night , at the time I'm more focused on food & beverage, kicking back & walking the town. Thus another reason to ride solo unless you know there's a good match of riding styles. FWIW, I have zero interest in the helmet camera thing but do value some pics here & there & the time to take them is minor in the scheme of a days ride. In todays world others don't share in the general value of trip pics like it used to be when many did slides of a vacation, I suppose that's where the Facebook thing fits in? I see myself being able to look enjoy looking back at some neat MC trips in the photos at a time when I can no longer ride but it does seem with aging that photos of trips take on a new perspective.

"If I had my life to live over, I'd dare to make more mistakes next time...I'd relax,I'd limber up... I would take fewer things seriously...take more chances... take more trips...climb more mountains...swim more rivers...eat more ice cream." Jorge Luis Borges at age 85.

Nova Scotia

Meeting up with 5 others in Bangor late July. Picking up wives at Halifax airport then doing the Cabot Trail and sending the girls home via Halifax. Planning 12 days. I did this route in 1974 solo on a 73 R 75/5 camping, flyfishing and loved every day! Don't go so early you catch black fly season! We will return via PEI then Bay of Fundy back to Bangor. There we split for 5 different places. You will always wish you had gone if you don't go! You won't be alone in the wilderness, too many others there in the summer on motorcycles!

One summer I had some very decent time off work and I rode from Southern Ontario to Georgia then across the south to California, north to Alberta, south into the States again, across to the Smokies and up the BRP before heading home. 29 days, 20,000 klix. It was awesome. No troubles, no hassles the entire way. It was one of the best road trips I'd ever taken. Be brave and go for it!

Stop and Take a Picture

Your comments on stopping once in a while to take a picture are spot on.... I rode up to Sturgis one short ride a couple of years ago, along the railroad tracks that come down from the coal mines in Idaho or Wyoming I believe, through Nebraska..... (My wife is not a MC rider), but she is a huge train fan, so I figured I could get several train length photos on curves, for her library.....The gentleman who was on the ride with me, did not enjoy the stops in an attempt to get just the right angle.... So, when we parted ways half way through the ride, I was especially thrilled to ride the peak to peak road in Colorado on the way back without him.... and my stop to climb Longs Peak just outside of Estes Park would probably have sent him over the edge.... So, my ride to Salem this year will be solo, and I have 6400 miles already added in to my Garmin.....Can't wait!

PS, I can't believe anyone who would take the time to ride down into Mexico would not want to take the time to document the ride.......Might as well just route a circular route around the city and ride continuously for about two weeks....

OTOH, he would spend way too much time doing his blog each night , at the time I'm more focused on food & beverage, kicking back & walking the town. Thus another reason to ride solo unless you know there's a good match of riding styles.

I rode with a guy who had his own website and did reviews of vehicles. Every 10-minute rest stop turned into 45 minutes with him updating his blog. I had trouble rousting him out of his tent on the day we headed home and between that and the long rest stops, we wound up riding well past midnight, something I would never do. I won't ride with him again.

Most of my road trips have been solo and I enjoyed those. It's very difficult to come up with a riding partner with similar riding style and habits. One of my buddies is an IronButt rider, and that might not work out. There are times I just have to get off the bike every hour to move around.

I do like the freedom of solo touring. You won't be completely alone because you'll meet other bikers on the road and many friendly people at rest stops.

Been planning a trip to Nova Scotia all winter long for late June, but my riding buddy can't get the time off from work. I'm really looking forward to the trip so I'm considering just doing it solo. I ride alone all the time on day rides, but I've never gone on an extended solo trip. Not sure if I'll get bored with only the voices in my head to keep me company. Even worse...what if I see something super cool and there's nobody else to witness it? What if I see Bigfoot? What if I crash into a ditch and lay there for hours before anyone notices the vultures circling? Anybody with a solo touring tale...good or bad? I've seen some excellent ride reports on ADVrider.

I'm planning to ride there beginning June, from Charleston, SC, then to the BMW rally in Salem, OR. Maybe we'll cross paths somewhere in Nova Scotia this June.